


this moment is a good thing

by kangtv (galacticnik)



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Football, Alternate Universe - Sports, M/M, Park Jihoon (mentioned), Park Woojin (mentioned) - Freeform, Yoon Jisung (mentioned), i'm just a casual fan, or soccer just to be clear, please don't come here and look for accuracy lmao, there's shockingly little football in here anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-17 00:30:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12353691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galacticnik/pseuds/kangtv
Summary: He shoots, he scores!Or: Daniel, Seongwoo, and the principle that everything good takes place on the field.





	this moment is a good thing

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from good thing by nct 127. self-edited, all warnings apply.

It happens in the 93rd minute of playtime.

The referee is seconds away from blowing his whistle to indicate the end of the game, but Daniel can’t hear anything past the blood pounding in his ears, the hoarse cheers of his teammates, and Seongwoo’s voice, breathless, saying, “You bloody bastard. You _did_ it.”

Moments ago, their team was tied 1-1 with the Suwon Bluewings. Now the score reads 2-1 for FC Seoul, all thanks to the goal scoring abilities of Kang Daniel. Jisung, their manager, sinks to his knees on the side, relief and gratitude pouring out of him in the form of tears. The importance of this win isn’t lost on anyone—not the team, not Jisung, not the Bluewings or the crowd—because with this, FC Seoul can finally enter the top four on the points table this season, and that’s a _big fuckin’ victory_ for them.

It’s surreal. The minute the ball flies over the goalkeeper’s head and hits the back of the net (“A successful cross!” the announcers yell), the stadium explodes. Daniel barely has enough time to pump his fist up in the air before his teammates converge on him and tackle him to the ground. He’s suffocating under their bulk, with Jihoon’s fucking knee pressed up against a part of his body it really should not be, but Daniel isn’t complaining, just drunk with the thrill of having made it.

He hears someone call his name and lifts his head; ripping his gloves off with his teeth, Seongwoo sprints towards them from the other end of the field. He yanks Jihoon and Woojin off Daniel and pulls him to his feet, clapping him on the back. His mouth is pulled into a wide, blinding grin, eyes sparkling with mirth. “You—” he begins, but Sungwoon and Jinyoung also come running and launch themselves at both Seongwoo and Daniel, taking them down again.

Despite the fact that Woojin is hollering in his ear and that Seongwoo’s fingers are digging into his waist, Daniel laughs and can’t stop, giddy with excitement and success and yes, he fucking did this, he _did this_ for himself and his team—

And then Seongwoo is laughing along with him, lips close to his ear, whispering out a breathless congratulations, and before Daniel can even force out a ‘thanks,’ Seongwoo kisses him. Daniel freezes. Seongwoo tastes like salt and something else that reminds him of dewy mornings; his mouth is warm against Daniel’s, but as soon as he relaxes into it, the pressure eases.

He blinks, bewildered, as Jihoon yanks Seongwoo up by the back of his shirt, and Sungwoon ushers him to his feet. The roar of the crowd is still deafening, the commentary of the announcers cutting through it like a knife. He hears his name, the team’s name, then his name again. But then he looks at Seongwoo and the noise fades away until it’s just the two of them cocooned in a heavy silence. Daniel’s breath hitches in his chest as Seongwoo’s eyes meet his.

Tension lasts only for a moment before Seongwoo’s face splits into a grin. He cups his hands around his mouth and yells, “LOOK UP!”

Daniel’s head snaps up to see his face reflected on the stadium’s large screen, red faced and slightly punch-drunk. Bursting into laughter (he looks like an idiot), Daniel shakes his head and turns away. The camera pans to catch the disappoint on the losing team’s faces, and Daniel surreptitiously touches his lips, lingering a second too long before letting his hand fall to his side.

None of the announcers mentioned the kiss and no one else is looking at them strangely, so it’s safe to assume, crushed at the bottom of the dogpile as they were, they were able to hide from the probing eyes of the public. Still, Daniel’s hands shake—because it’s Seongwoo, because they’re still on the field, because he feels like he’s on the top of the world, because he liked being kissed by his teammate and doesn’t know what to do with it.

Glancing over at Seongwoo, who has an arm slung over Woojin and Jihoon’s shoulders, he thinks, _Okay_.

It’s something.

 

 —

 

Seongwoo has to drag Daniel up the stairs of the bus after the interviews are done. He’s too exhausted to move his feet—the whole team is, really—but his complaints ring louder than others’ because after all, he is the man of the match and they’re obligated to listen to him until the day is over and his allotted time to lord this over everyone else runs out. Still, when Jihoon mutters something about Daniel being a giant baby, he says, “I played the _full game_ ,” while trying (and failing) not to sound defensive.

Jihoon throws his arms up in mock surrender and turns to Woojin. Daniel opens his mouth to say something else, but Seongwoo cuts him off by depositing him into a seat near the back. “So did I,” he says, rolling his eyes. And, because it’s natural, because it’s routine, he sinks down beside Daniel and tips his head back.

“You just stood there for ninety minutes, bro,” Daniel snickers. He nudges Seongwoo and adds, “Our defenders are too good. Kept you from doing any real work.” Disregarding the failed save Seongwoo attempted that ended with him eating dirt and almost getting kicked in the head by an opposing player, it’s a fair assessment of the game.

“Yeah, Ong,” Sungwoon pipes up, two rows head. He pokes his head up above the seats. “We did your job for you.”

“Ha.” No one is sure whether that is supposed to be a short, pointed laugh or Seongwoo addressing the defender. Either way, Sungwoon cocks his head to the side and waits, his lips twitching. “Fuck you.”

“Thought you already did last night,” Sungwoon says smugly. The bus breaks out in loud _OOOOOHS_ and _DAAAAAAMNS_ , the loudest of which (all of which) come from Woojin. “You wanna come back for seconds?”

Seongwoo flips him off good-naturedly. “Oh yeah. Dick game too strong,” he agrees evenly, blank-faced, and Sungwoon cracks up and gives him a nod of respect.

Daniel presses his forehead against the window. His face is warm and he doesn’t know why. It’s not like he hasn’t heard the same thing a thousand times before. Nothing about this exchange is different than literally any other day on the bus or in the locker rooms or even at the bar in the midst of unwinding and bonding and god knows what else while racking up a hefty tab under Jisung’s name. He’s used to it.

Yet he feels weird about it too, remembering the kiss and Seongwoo’s grin, and he can’t put his finger on why. It frustrates him. He’s pretty confident it’s not a case of him being homophobic or anything—he’s known for a while that Seongwoo likes guys as well as girls, but never considered one of those guys could be him. They’re _teammates_. ‘Don’t get involved’ is kind of like an unspoken rule.

Daniel may just be getting ahead of himself. He still hasn’t figured out whether that kiss was an accident, a coincidence, an unfortunate consequence of the human pyramid and other peoples’ flailing limbs, or if it was on purpose. If it meant something more than just, way to go.

He’s scared to ask.

Seongwoo puts a hand on his arm, jerking Daniel out of his thoughts. “Hey, you okay?” His eyebrows knit together in concern as he peers at Daniel’s face. “I haven’t seen you this quiet for a while.” Daniel knows Seongwoo well enough to tell that the jovial tone to his voice is put on. Tiredness lurks beneath it—and it has been a long ass day—making him feel guilty for worrying the older man.

“M’fine. Just tired,” Daniel says. He attempts to smile, but it looks more like a grimace. Seongwoo’s eyebrows shoot up into his hair. “I think I just want to go back and sleep for forty eight hours,” he adds quickly. Not a lie. He really is exhausted and ready to sleep through the next two days. They’re going to have to bring him back from the dead after it.

“A whole forty eight?” Seongwoo whistles and pats him on the back. “Well, if anyone can do it, it’s probably you.” Smirking, he stretches his arms over his head and shatters the expression with a yawn. “Come to think of it, I could probably do a forty eight too.”

“Nah, a twenty four, max.” Seongwoo’s offended expression draws a genuine laugh out of Daniel. “Dude, I’m not insulting you.”

“Feels like it.” Seongwoo fake-sniffles and presses a fist to his chest. “Can’t believe you rejected me like that, Euigeon. I gave you _everything_.”

“Give me your shoulder, then.” Shifting in his seat, Daniel sinks lower so he can comfortably rest his head on Seongwoo’s shoulder. “Don’t move, okay. I’m going to nap.”

“The hotel’s like fifteen minutes away, but fine,” Seongwoo chuckles. Daniel feels the sound carry right down to his toes. It’s a strange, but not entirely unpleasant, sensation. “If you drool on me, I’ll kill you.”

“Sure.” Daniel’s eyes flutter shut. He frowns as the minutes drag on with him remaining as alert as ever—falling asleep anytime, anywhere is the only skill he’s really proud of, and hell, his favorite pillow is Seongwoo’s shoulder, so why can’t he sleep? Maybe it has something to do with the heat radiating from Seongwoo, the sound of the steady rhythm of his heart, his exhales and sighs and the way he gently runs his fingers through Daniel’s hair before pulling away and laughing, like he did something wrong.

Daniel’s eyes fly open as Seongwoo tries to get comfortable in his seat. “Sorry,” Seongwoo whispers, turning his head. Their face are close again, _way_ too close, and Daniel flashes back to the field. “Did I wake you?”

He shakes his head. Seongwoo squirms as Daniel’s hair tickles his neck. “Whoops—sorry. Didn’t mean to—”

“It’s cool,” Seongwoo gasps, scrunching up his face to keep from snorting. “Still pumped up from the big win?”

Daniel swallows and closes his eyes again. “Something else,” he says quietly.

Seongwoo doesn’t press the issue.

 

 —

 

He doesn’t sleep a whole forty eight hours. Barely makes it past twelve, in reality, but lies in bed staring at the ceiling for a couple of hours. By the time Daniel finally works up the nerve to text Seongwoo and ask if he wants to grab lunch, he gets a response saying Seongwoo already promised to take his sister out today, _sorry_.

Sighing, he gets dressed and debates between going to down to the gym to work out heading to the field to get some practice in. Lifting weights helps him zone out and numbs him to whatever may be going on in his life, but being outside clears his mind and helps him focus on the problem at hand. Not really a tough choice. He grabs his cleats and his favorite ball and sets off.

He’s practicing his free kicks when Seongwoo strolls onto the field with a bag slung over his shoulder. “Hey, Kang! Nice form!” he calls out, and Daniel kicks the ball straight into the post. It ricochets off and comes flying back towards him. Only a well timed dive keeps him from taking a ball ( _his own ball_ ) to the face.

“H—hey,” Daniel says sullenly. Seongwoo sinks to the ground, clutching his stomach as he laughs at Daniel’s epic fail, but he doesn’t see Seongwoo’s phone out recording any of it, so he supposes he can tolerate the laughter no matter how much it grates on his nerves. “What are you doing here?”

Seongwoo climbs back to his feet, wiping tears from his eyes. He gulps in a lungful of air. “My sister cancelled—her boyfriend called or something. I wasn’t paying attention.” Fishing his gloves out of his bag, Seongwoo slips them on and jogs over to the net. “Want to practice together?”

“Still doesn’t explain what you’re doing _here_ ,” Daniel says, not moving.

Seongwoo shrugs. “I figured you’d be here. So are we doing this or not?”

Fuck. How lame is it that it makes him happy to hear that? Then again, Seongwoo knows him better than anyone else on their team, excluding Jisung. Daniel grins. “Sure. Think you can block my shots?”

“Think _you_ can get a shot past me?” Seongwoo counters. He sounds cocky, confident, and more than a little taunting. Getting into position, he pounds his hands together. “Go ahead and try, Euigeon.”

Daniel shakes his head. “I never should’ve told you my real name,” he grumbles.

His focus is on power above speed, but he’s still quick enough that Seongwoo almost doesn’t see the first shot coming. His fingertips graze the ball, just managing to divert it outside the net. Daniel tries again, feinting and shooting left. Seongwoo punches it away with more speed this time and grins, eyes alight with a challenge.

They fall into a rhythm, Daniel making shots and Seongwoo blocking nearly 80% of them. Pride mixes with frustration; Seongwoo is in top form and Daniel’s glad he’s their goalie, but he also thought he was a better goal-scorer than this. It’s just drive to do better, he thinks as they finally halt practice. Daniel lifts the bottom of his shirt and wipes his face with it. Seongwoo leans against the goalpost to catch his breath, his eyes raking over Daniel’s exposed stomach, then shift up towards the sky.

Daniel wonders if he should finally broach the subject. He’s been thinking about it since last night and just wants to know if it’s something worth holding onto, or something he should just forget. Any answer would be fine—he’s not going to push Seongwoo to admit anything he doesn’t want to, but he doesn’t like ambiguous relationships either. This feels too ambiguous for his liking.

Sweeping his damn hair back, he jogs over to the goal. “So, got a minute to talk about what happened in the field?” he asks, skidding to a stop in front of Seongwoo.

“This?” Seongwoo gestures around them. He’s still grinning. “Me handing your ass to you on a platter?”

“Last night.”

Seongwoo’s expression immediately darkens. “Oh.” He fidgets with his gloves. “Right, I’ve been meaning to apologize for that.” He sounds uncomfortable, like he’d rather be anywhere else. “I mean, that was—”

“An accident?” Daniel suggests. It’s what he expects, really. Even if it disappointing.

“No,” Seongwoo says quickly. “Not an accident, _God._ I’d never—” Breaking off, he closes his eyes. “We were celebrating,” he says. “And I got swept away in the moment.” He drags a hand down his face and stains his cheeks with a faint line of green. “Don’t worry too much about it. Won’t happen again.”

“‘Course.” Seongwoo shoots him a quick, grateful smile, but Daniel isn’t finished. Swallowing, he moves closer and sets his jaw. “But if I wanted it to? Because it wasn’t terrible?” Aw fuck, that is… not how he wanted to phrase it, but the only time he’s ever eloquent is when he’s had practice. Telling his best friend he wouldn’t mind kissing him again is not something he practices.

Seongwoo forces out a throaty laugh. “Well, it _better_ not have been terrible. I’d like to think I’m a better kisser than ‘terrible.’” Sweat rolls down his forehead, whether from the exercise or nerves, he isn’t sure, but Seongwoo wipes it away his arm and clears his throat. “But that would be… something, I guess.” He rolls the word around in his mouth— _something_ —giving a weight to it only he can understand.

But Daniel gets it too. Something is something _more_. Maybe they don’t want to vocalize it because they’re still in Korea and it’s fucking terrifying trying to cross lines you shouldn’t, but at the end of the day, if he likes being around Seongwoo and likes the feel of Seongwoo’s lips on his, isn’t that enough? “I want it to be something,” he says confidently.

Seongwoo’s expression softens into a fond look, a smile dancing across his lips. “Yeah?” he says, like he can’t quite believe it, like this isn’t real, and Daniel wants to ask _how long_ and _why didn’t I see it before_. He feels like he’s arriving at a station late, but the train is still miraculously there. And he’s not going to miss it.

“So if you wanted to kiss me again, that would be cool,” Daniel continues. Tosses it out there casually like it’s no big deal when his heart is about to damn near burst out of his chest.

Seongwoo laughs, a quiet sort of chuckle that doesn’t carry. He reaches out and squeezes Daniel’s hand. “Whoa there, buddy. Slow down.” Seeing Daniel’s disappointed expression, he squeezes it again, though Daniel can’t feel anything through the gloves. “Maybe later.”

“That a promise?”

“It’s…” Seongwoo hesitates, then grins mischievously. “It’s _something_.”

Daniel groans and drops his forehead onto Seongwoo’s shoulder. “You’re a fucking tease,” he complains. Seongwoo pats him consolingly on the back for what it’s worth—which isn’t a lot, but Daniel takes the opportunity to hide the grin that splits across his face.

“If you get this ball past me, I’ll give you a reward,” Seongwoo says suddenly, pushing him away.

Daniel stumbles back and narrows his eyes. “Is the ‘reward’ a kiss,” he says, air quotes and all, and the tips of Seongwoo’s ears turn red.

“Maybe. Why don’t you give it a shot and find out?”

He can’t turn down a challenge. Daniel wrong foots the ball and gets it into the net, but he suspects that Seongwoo dives the opposite direction on purpose. His ‘disappointed’ look could use some work, at any rate, because Daniel doesn’t buy his dejection for a minute. He laughs as he runs over to Seongwoo and holds a hand out to help him up, but Seongwoo grasps it and yanks Daniel down instead. He barely gets a word out before Seongwoo kisses him. “ _Goal,_ ” Seongwoo says, pulling back, and Daniel accidentally snorts before kissing him again.

“Yeah,” he says, later. “I think I win, again.”

**Author's Note:**

> suwon bluewings and fc seoul are both clubs in the k league classic. all wanna one members mentioned play for fc seoul: seongwoo as goalkeeper, sungwoon and jinyoung as defenders, jihoon and woojin as midfielders, and daniel as a forward. jisung is their manager because _reasons_.
> 
> to reiterate, i have like zero sports knowledge, i just like watching football/soccer. i don't even know where this au came from or how i feel about it? when i figure it out i will let you know. 
> 
> when i'm stressed, i apparently write ongniel, so i've been using this as a distraction from midterms and stuff which isn't very... responsible of me. don't follow my example, but thank you for reading ❤


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